Email: Joshua Newton

Greetings,

My time here in Atlanta is drawing to a close. My last day of work is August 3, and I have already begun to say my goodbyes to the many volunteers that we see at DCM every month. I have enjoyed my work here, and I know that I will miss many parts of my job, but I look forward to starting my new job as a teacher in Dallas in a few weeks.

July has been an exciting month in many ways. We went to a very interesting exhibit at Emory University called “Cradle of Christianity.” It included a number of artifacts from both Jewish and Christian cultures from when Christ was alive through the first few centuries of the church.

I have also attended a few farewell parties during the last few weeks. I especially enjoyed the potluck and celebration that we had at the church that I attend with two of my housemates. A very moving part of the evening was when the members of the church were able to share the gifts that we had brought to them, and we were able to share the gifts that the church had brought to us over the last year. It was a great chance to reflect on my time spent at the church and to share with the church how much it has meant to me.

I have enjoyed my time here in Atlanta, and I feel that I have learned many things during my year. I have been exposed to many problems that the poor in our society face, but I have also seen that if we pull together as a community, we can help people get through the tough times and get their lives back together. There are many issues that face our society, such as homelessness and food insecurity, but if we decide to work together, I believe that we can help overcome these problems. We must deal with the fact that there is not enough space in our shelters for the men, women, and children who live on our streets.

But I take hope in the fact that every month I have seen families move out of our shelter into more permanent housing, and move one step further to regaining their ability to support themselves. We must deal with the fact that many people barely make enough money to pay for basic necessities such as housing and food, and that missing one paycheck can be all it takes for a person to lose their home or apartment. But I take hope in the fact that every month I have seen our financial assistance program help people who can normally support themselves but have just fallen on hard times. This program does more then just bail someone out of a bad situation; it also teaches them how to develop support systems and closely examine their budgets to help keep them from falling back into a situation where they could lose their home. We must deal with the fact that many of the homeless and working poor do not always know where their next meal will come from. But I take hope in the fact that the church that I have been attending here in Atlanta is able help provide food security to 200 families in our community through the food co-ops that they run.

Through my work here in Atlanta, I see that when we come together as a community on any level we are able to attack issues that seem to big to manage. But we are a long way from being able to say that we can fix the problems that we face as a society today. I believe that if we truly want to, we can ensure that those who suffer from mental illnesses are not living on the streets and get the treatment they need. We can ensure that children do not go to bed hungry because there is not enough food. Or that their parents do not go to bed hungry because they had to make the choice between feeding themselves or their children. We can ensure that men, women, and children are not homeless by ensuring that there is enough housing in our communities affordable to low-wage workers.

I have no illusions that fix these problems will be easy or cheap. We must be committed to ending hunger and homelessness in our communities and do whatever is necessary to accomplish that goal.

I don't believe that this is something that we can do just as local communities, or just as churches, or just on a national level. We must engage all of the communities that we are a part of—religious, corporate and political—and demand that as a society we fix these issues. I realize that this will not be easy, but I have seen many different examples this year of groups and communities pulling together to attack the issues of poverty and homelessness. Many of these groups are very successful in helping the people they work with vastly improve their lives, and this gives me hope that as a society we can tackle these issues if we have the will.

I hope that in the years to come, I will be able to engage the communities that I am living, working, and worshiping in by taking an active role in addressing the most pressing issues that those communities face. I would also like to challenge you to become more engaged in your community and help ensure that those in need receive the help that they need to better their situation.

Sincerely,

Joshua Newton